Creative 360 seeks women as mentors for Facing Forward

by Midland Daily News

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Creative 360 of Midland has served 70 teen girls in its program, Facing Forward: Journey into Womanhood, since 2007.

The next session begins Feb. 1 in Midland, with eighth-graders from Central Middle School. Ten girls will attend a Monday/Wednesday series, and 10 others will attend Tuesday/Thursday. The meetings begin right after school, from 3-4.30 pm each day. The eight-week program concludes just before spring break, and no sessions are held on no-school days.

The place, the materials, the planning and the girls are ready to go. The only missing ingredient is 14 more adult women to serve as mentors. The time commitment is 24 hours over an eight-week period. No prior experience of mentoring or art classes is needed.

All information is made available during the program, as the women and girls learn together. Orientation for mentors is provided before the first meeting with the students.

Past mentor Jackie Light of Midland is a member of the Junior League of Saginaw Valley, which has provided three years of financial support for the program.

"Facing Forward is unlike any other mentoring program I have ever participated in." Light said. "Although I was hesitant about my lack of arts experience at first, I quickly found that the bond forged with my mentee overshadowed any doubts I had. We were having fun together, and that's all that mattered."

Local data from pre- and post-program surveys indicate that Facing Forward facilitates positive change in the lives of participants.

Stephanie Cirihal, Facing Forward program director since 2008, has facilitated group activities in the arts and creative movement for more than 10 years. She is a certified personal coach, certified in crucial conversations mastery, and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt in innovation and problem-solving.

For more information, call Cirihal at (989) 631-2444 or e-mail her at scirihal@hotmail.com.